Explore Orlando

Here, you’ll find randomized material from across the textbase’s author profiles and timelines. To jump to the content of your choice, click on its image card.

July 1567: Mary Queen of Scots miscarried of twins—or,...

National or international item

July 1567

Mary Queen of Scots miscarried of twins—or, according to an unsubstantiated rumour, bore a live daughter who was despatched to a French convent.
Fraser, Antonia. Mary, Queen of Scots. Franklin Library, 1981.
371

1840: The Society of Protestant Sisters of Charity...

Building and people item

1840

The Society of Protestant Sisters of Charity (Nursing Sisters) was founded as a secular nursing order in London, inspired by Quaker Elizabeth Gurney Fry .
Franck, Irene, and David Brownstone. Women’s World: A Timeline of Women in History. HarperCollins; HarperPerennial, 1995.
119
Williams, Katherine. “From Sarah Gamp to Florence Nightingale: A Critical Study of Hospital Nursing Systems from 1840 to 1897”. Rewriting Nursing History, edited by Celia Davies, Barnes and Noble, 1980, pp. 41-75.
42-4, 49, 64
Dingwall, Robert et al. An Introduction to the Social History of Nursing. Routledge, 1988.
28

1953: The Poetry Book Society was founded, largely...

Writer or writing item

1953

The Poetry Book Society was founded, largely through the efforts of T. S. Eliot , to promote the reading of poetry.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/.

Ada Leverson

AL has been best remembered for her association with Oscar Wilde . But her six novels have never disappeared from public view or critical appreciation, and today interest has also developed in her journalism: stories...
Ada Leverson Black and white photograph of Ada Leverson, standing with her hands behind her back. She is wearing a dark dress with a high collar, long sleeves, a broad skirt, and a row of buttons up the front. Her hair is short and curly. Below her photograph are the words: "Elliot and Fry, 55 and 56, Baker St London. W", typed in all capitals.

By 27 September 1905: Scientist Grace Chisholm Young published...

Women writers item

By 27 September 1905

Scientist Grace Chisholm Young published the first of two scientific books co-authored with her husband, William Henry Young : The First Book of Geometry.
Young, Grace Chisholm, and William Henry Young. The First Book of Geometry. J. M. Dent, 1905.

1949: The University College of North Staffordshire...

Building and people item

1949

The University College of North Staffordshire was founded.
The World of Learning. 45th ed., Allen and Unwin, 1995.
1604
Dent, Harold Collett. 1870-1970: Century of Growth in English Education. Longmans, 1970.
152-3
Harte, Negley. The University of London 1836-1986. Athlone, 1986.
253

1591: The construction of Hardwick Hall at Hardwick,...

Building and people item

1591

The construction of Hardwick Hall at Hardwick, Derbyshire, for Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury ("Bess of Hardwick"), was begun.
Guy, John. “The Tudor Age (1485-1603)”. Oxford Illustrated History of Britain, edited by Kenneth O. Morgan, Oxford University Press, 1984, pp. 223-85.
278

1406: The influential work of ancient astronomer...

Building and people item

1406

The influential work of ancient astronomer Claudius Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy) was translated into Latin.
Bunch, Bryan, and Alexander Hellemans. The Timetables of Technology. Simon and Schuster, 1993.
118

16 September 1992: On what became known as Black Wednesday,...

National or international item

16 September 1992

On what became known as Black Wednesday, the pound sterling was driven out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism which tied it in with other European currencies: that is particularly the deutschmark.
Davis, Evan. “Lessons learned on ’Black Wednesday’”. BBC News: Business, 15 Sept. 2002.

1972: E-mail, based on programmes developed by...

Building and people item

1972

E-mail, based on programmes developed by Ray Tomlinson , was incorporated into ARPAnet. Tomlinson inaugurated the name-and-domain name convention, which, despite contentions, became widely adopted in the eighties as e-mail use proliferated.
Moschovitis, Christos et al. History of the Internet. ABC-CLIO, 1999.
73-4
“’Lo’ and behold! The internet turns 35”. CBC Health and Science News, 29 Oct. 2004.

13 July 2006: A rare book sale at Sotheby's brought under...

Writer or writing item

13 July 2006

A rare book sale at Sotheby's brought under the hammer both a First Folio of the works of Shakespeare and a copy of the first edition of Woolf 's Orlando inscribed to Vita Sackville-West .
Mullan, John. “The Book’s the Thing”. Guardian Unlimited, 13 July 2006.

1668: Jean de La Fontaine published his first collection...

Writer or writing item

1668

Jean de La Fontaine published his first collection of animal Fables.
British Library Catalogue. http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=0&tab=local_tab&dstmp=1489778087340&vid=BLVU1&mode=Basic&fromLo.

14 June 1853: A new Penal Servitude Act made women subject...

National or international item

14 June 1853

A new Penal Servitude Act made women subject to this form of punishment.
Zedner, Lucia. Women, Crime, and Custody in Victorian England. Clarendon, 1991, http://U of A HSS.
178
Briggs, John et al. Crime and Punishment in England: An Introductory History. St Martin’s, 1996.
171
Emsley, Clive. Crime and Society in England 1750-1900. 2nd ed., Longman, 1996.
276
The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Printed by J. Bentham, 1762–2026.
(1853): 245

28 October 1914: Eastman Kodak introduced colour photogra...

Building and people item

28 October 1914

Eastman Kodak introduced colour photography.
Seymour, David, and Emily Seymour, editors. A Century of News. Contender Books, 2003.

Early 1874: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was elected to...

Building and people item

Early 1874

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was elected to the British Medical Association , where she remained for nineteen years the only female member.
Blake, Catriona, and Wendy Savage. The Charge of the Parasols: Women’s Entry to the Medical Profession. Women’s Press, 1990.
189-90

Susanna Wesley

SW 's surviving writings, dating from the earlier eighteenth century, include letters, devotional diaries, prayers, meditations, and essays written for her children on points of religious doctrine. Publication began years after her death.
Susanna Wesley Head-and-shoulders painting of Susanna Wesley in profile, artist unknown. Set against an outdoor background, she is wearing a lace cap over her dark hair, gold drop earrings and a white lace neckerchief under a yellow or beige cloak.

Dervla Murphy

DM , cosmopolitan Irishwoman, is primarily a travel writer, with more than twenty books to her credit. She excels at vivid rendering of human international contact (often made over drinks), at trenchant and well-informed...
Dervla Murphy Colour photo of Dervla Murphy smiling and holding a black and white cat that has its face turned away from the camera, October 1990.

13 March 1840: James Young and Adrian Delcambre were granted...

Writer or writing item

13 March 1840

James Young and Adrian Delcambre were granted a patent for their composing machine.
Clair, Colin. A Chronology of Printing. Cassell, 1969.
145-6

June 1858: The appointment of Potatau Te Wherowhero...

National or international item

June 1858

The appointment of Potatau Te Wherowhero initiated the King Movement for Maori federation, with the aim of co-ordinating opposition to British forces and land encroachment during the ongoing New Zealand wars.
Belich, James. The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict. Auckland University Press, 1986.
75-6

January 1987: The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (of...

National or international item

January 1987

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (of which Gorbachev was now the leader) formally enunciated his principle of perestroika, a complex recipe for modernising society and the economy.
“Library of Congress Country Studies”. Country Studies/Area Handbook Series, 2003.

1932: The White Cross Society published a Christian...

Building and people item

1932

The White Cross Society published a Christian manual offering instructions on mutual orgasm.
Weeks, Jeffrey. Sex, Politics and Society: The Regulation of Sexuality since 1800. Longman, 1981.
207
Bristow, Edward. Vice and Vigilance: Purity Movements in Britain Since 1700. Gill and Macmillan, 1977.
147

4 June 1970: Tonga became independent from Britain....

National or international item

4 June 1970

Tonga became independent from Britain.
Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry. Historical Tables: 58 BC-AD 1985. 11th ed., Garland Publishing, 1986.
262

15 October 1964: The Labour Party came to precarious power...

National or international item

15 October 1964

The Labour Party came to precarious power in the general election by a majority of four seats; next day Harold Wilson became Prime Minister.
Butler, David E., and Jennie Freeman. British Political Facts, 1900-1960. Macmillan, 1963.
45
Palmer, Alan, and Veronica Palmer. The Chronology of British History. Century, 1992.
492, 422
Schott, Ben. Schott’s Original Miscellany. Bloomsbury, 2002.
102
Greenslade, M. W. “Smethwick: Parliamentary History”. British History Online: The Victoria History of the Counties of England: A History of the County of Staffordshire, Volume XVII, 1976.
Younge, Gary. “The colour of politics in Britain today”. Guardian Weekly, 6–12 May 2005, p. 17.
17

1704: John Harris published Lexicon Technicum,...

Writer or writing item

1704

John Harris published Lexicon Technicum, or An Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. This was an early example (though not quite the first) of the alphabetically-arranged reference book in English.
Stavisky, Aaron. “Review of Pat Rogers, The Samuel Johnson DictionaryThe Age of Johnson, edited by Paul J. Korshin, Vol.
10
, AMS Press, 1999, pp. 302-28.
302
English Short Title Catalogue. http://estc.bl.uk/.

Margaret Kennedy

MK achieved international fame early in her writing career with the publication of her novel The Constant Nymph and its subsequent successes on the stage and screen. Though she never attained such high recognition again...
Margaret Kennedy Black and white photograph of Margaret Kennedy. She is seated, with her body turned away but her head turned back to face the viewer. Her dark hair is coiled over her ears, and she wears a light dress with lace.